My new housemate has a coffee sense about him and knows just when to wake up and walk into the kitchen – when the brew’s a few seconds from done. How we switched from the slow morning shuffle to talking about rooms for our robots I’m not sure.

“I sometimes like to think about rooms for things that don’t yet exist.” That wacky thought sent me into a spiral of sci-fi day dreaming in between meetings and the typical Monday workday. So much so that I brought it up with a couple of friends over beers after a grueling workout.

Outdoor living room

That led us to printed meat and pondering the state of a world where we’re able to transfer our consciousness over to our printed creations. Which finally led me to fearing the future. Not the technology directly, but the speed in which we’re liable to find our cultures, histories, freedoms and dreams erased – eked out by a tiny fraction with the means to afford the technology.

What I love about the passions I’ve picked up in my life is that they’re both fields which have become more accessible, open to those without the means to afford or pursue a college degree or invest in expensive equipment. (Most notably, cell phone cameras and ability to pick up old cameras and film for free or cheap & public access to computers and the One Laptop Per Child initiative.) Sure, there were periods of time when these were not accessible by the masses, when the cost was prohibitive. And we’re already seeing this happen in the 3D printer market, an infant in comparison. The difference is the impact one can make or the power one can wield with access to a technology before it’s available to the masses and accessible by all. The larger impact and power, the shorter period of time we as a global community can afford. Alas, I digress…

Wall Art

As for those future rooms, I want to imagine a future that blends our past with our contemporary technology. One where we lose the concept of mine-mine-mine and keep only those rooms that benefit from privacy. Let’s move our kitchens back outside, to the center of our house circles and our shower and toilet rooms to ourselves. The loss of private kitchens will clear space for our medicine closets which will include health care accessories that once were associated with office work such as scanners and printers. Not sure how we’ll fit in robot roosts and transporter booths, but I’m sure we’ll do the best we can.

Extra: Today is Day 15, Post 13 of my 30 day blog challenge. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of the page to receive weekly updates in your inbox or follow me on Tumblr if that’s your scene. 

The post Future Homes and an (un)Associated String of Consciousness appeared first on Jewels.

While I had a few queued posts about my past week at OSCON rising, my baby brother, Jake, surprised me by strumming up a rendition of Of Monsters and Men’s “Little Talks.” It, of course, kicked off a family band session including some beat box slide whistle (all Jake) and inspired my morning serenades on the (never annoying) squeeze box.

Don’t be fooled. I am not a great musician. I have no aspirations of starting a touring band or creating an album. I do love making music however, even if I’m not well versed in other people’s music. This typically involves me either spontaneously living in my own personal musical, pulling the high school flute out of retirement, futzing around on my girlfriend’s keyboards or adapting someone else’s song for my own technical abilities.

My lack of skill (rooted in my lack of practice) is why I get so darned excited when one of my brothers, my parents or my sister is around and we can play Family Band for a while. With the exception of Jake, James & Jenni, we’re fabulously mediocre. Lucky for me, they’re also well versed in other people’s music, making it much easier to relate to others around a campfire, at a party, and so on. What that means for me is that I get a new song I can add to my playlist for when I’m solo. I love it, as I’m solo a lot.

One thing that getting older does is affords us more time to spend on those activities we love, getting better at those things we love. A challenge I’ve long had is the … determination … ? … to focus on one thing long enough to pass mediocre. Sometimes I wonder if I’d want to do things differently and try a rotation through my many passions and risk missing out on all the tryings of new things. (I will come back to this in a future entry.)

I also love that our default activity when getting together is rooted in making something together. That something isn’t always music. Home repairs and yard projects likely top the list, followed by music, fun, movies and food. And when we’re not making, we’re playing games, taking walks and retreating into our own quiet spaces.

As I prepare for a weekend of music, including a brother-sister duo Noah Gundersen, I know this is not all families and that not all Family Bands are for everyone. Still, they are great for a few nights.

Extra: Today is Day 12, Post 10 of my 30 day blog challenge. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of the page to receive weekly updates in your inbox or follow me on Tumblr if that’s your scene. // Despite going dark for a few days while I was working OSCON, I plan on sharing those insights after I’ve had time to decompress and bounce back from getting car sick trying to blog and ride.

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